Electric unicycles are illegal on BC streets: Government responds to tickets

Gabe Kwok was riding his electric unicycle on Main Street in Vancouver when he got a ticket for not having insurance. (Submitted)

The BC government has responded to complaints from electric unicycle users being ticketed in Vancouver — and it’s not great news for riders.

Electric unicycles are illegal on BC streets, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. They can only be ridden on private property or where a municipal bylaw specifically allows them — such as a skate park or designated trail.

“The Motor Vehicle Act does not permit people to use devices such as solowheels, hoverboards, or electric skateboards and unicycles on public roads, including sidewalks,” a ministry spokesperson Daily Hive Urbanized.

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The response comes after Daily Hive Urbanized asked the government for clarity on rules surrounding electric unicycles. In the last few months, riders in Vancouver say they’ve been hit with $600 tickets for driving without insurance — and they don’t think that’s fair, given that the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia doesn’t sell insurance for them.

“The ticket doesn’t really fit the crime and there’s no proper legislation on this,” Bradley Spence, CEO of Eevees, a store selling electric scooters and unicycles, told Daily Hive Urbanized.

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Since the beginning of this year, Spence said about 10 customers have complained to him of being ticketed in downtown Vancouver — when virtually none had prior to that.

The ministry confirmed ICBC doesn’t insure electric unicycles — saying it can only sell insurance for cycles that meet provincial and federal safety standards for motorcycles and limited-speed motorcycles.

BC is in the middle of a three-year pilot program on electric scooters, and the results of that will inform future legislative changes on electric-powered transport. But electric unicycles aren’t included in that pilot.

The Province also recently amended the Motor Vehicle Act to enable safe use of emerging electric transport technologies including delivery robots, designated personal mobility devices, and different classes of e-bikes. But again, electric unicycles weren’t included.

Although the changes will allow BC to explore emerging technologies, the government didn’t answer Daily Hive Urbanized’s question about whether it’s working to allow electric unicycle riders to use the roads.

It’s frustrating for Spence, who opened his store several years ago after asking dozens of police officers on the street what they thought of his electric unicycle — and none said it was a problem. But now, the fines have started flowing.

“We always knew it was a grey area, and we would always communicate that with customers… [But] all of a sudden, police are deeming them illegal,” he said.

He’s hired lawyers to help his customers who come forward since the’s fines don’t bode well for selling more of the unicycles.

He’s had both of the tickets he’s challenged in court so far cleared. One was for customer-turned-employee Gabe Kwok, who was ticketed while riding down Main Street on his way to school. The officer in that case didn’t show up.

“I was confused and a little bit angry,” Kwok said of the ticket. “Because I’ve been riding for seven months with over 3,000 kilometres on my unicycle without issue.”

In the second instance, Spence said the judge told him the ticket wasn’t valid because the rider was on the sidewalk at the time — and the no insurance ticket only applies to roadways.

Matthew McCormick got a ticket for driving without insurance while on his electric unicycle in Yaletown last week. (Arash Randjbar/Daily Hive)

Matthew McCormick, another rider who was ticketed in Yaletown for no insurance, told Daily Hive Urbanized many electric device users choose that mode of transportation to save money — and the $600 fine could make a huge dent in their finances.

“A lot of people might buy this kind of vehicle because they can’t afford a car because they can’t afford gas,” he said. “It’s really going to harm them.”

Spence is all for ticketing electric unicyclists who ride dangerously — he’s been known to tell off riders for going too fast or weaving in and out of traffic himself. He also doesn’t take issue with riders being ticketed for being on the sidewalk.

But the no insurance ticket doesn’t seem fair to him, given that the unicycles are uninsurable.

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